Upper Valley Triathletes Test Selves Against World

London — Three Upper Valley competitors — Lebanon’s Greg Hagley, Meriden’s Chuck Landry and Bethel’s Danielle Bean — tested their abilities against a worldwide field last week during the PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final.

Hagley, 35, and Landry, 57, raced in Saturday’s men’s age-group event, covering a standard Olympic distance that included a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40K bike segment and a closing 10K run. Bean, 34, a former Woodstock High athlete, competed Friday in the women’s age-group sprint race, an event consisting of a 750-meter swim, a 20K bike and 5K run.

Hagley finished in the top third of the men’s overall standings, with a final time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, 36 seconds. With more than 1,300 triathletes in the field, Hagley placed 59th in the men’s 35-year-old division and 348th overall.

Set in the men’s age-55 division, Landry posted an overall Olympic-distance time of 2:19:36. The Meriden resident was 65th in his division and 1,011th overall.

Bean, set in the women’s 30-year-old class for her sprint race, recorded an overall time of 1:29:55. She was 77th in her division and 493rd overall in a race that included 765 competitors.

Bean also participated in the Sept. 11 aquathlon, a two-stage swim-and-run event, that opened the world championship schedule. Bean completed the course, consisting of a one-kilometer swim followed by a 5K run, in 44:46 to place 42nd in her age class and 261st overall.

All three Upper Valley competitors represented USA Triathlon at the world championships.

With Weights

Higgins Wins N.E. Masters Title

Enfield, Conn. — Jane Higgins, of the Lebanon-based Thor’s Stone Athletic Club, set New England records in two disciplines en route to winning top female honors at the New England Masters Weightlifting Championships on Saturday.

Higgins, 65, competed in the women’s 114-pound weight class. She lifted 84 pounds in the clean-and-jerk and 62 pounds in the snatch, both of which were personal bests along with regional records.

Results from the club’s other competitors can be found in the chart on this page.

In the Pool

UVAC Joins Record Effort

White River Junction — The Upper Valley Aquatic Club’s role in an effort to stage the world’s largest swim lesson this summer has been confirmed by officials with Guinness World Records, according to a UVAC news release.

The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson was staged on June 18, with UVAC joining facilities around the world at 11 a.m. Eastern time that day. More than 430 facilities took part with 32,450 total participants in 13 countries, a 30 percent increase over previous attempts.

The WLSL is held to raise attention to the notion of swimming as a life-saving skill and that drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children up to the age of 14.

On the Ice

UA Leagues Recruiting

Woodstock — Union Arena is seeking new players for the four adult hockey leagues it has planned for the coming winter season.

UA plans an Oct. 20 start to the hockey season. Levels of play include the high-level Upper Valley Hockey League, the B-level Union Arena Hockey League (mostly ages 30 and older), the Coed Adult Fun League for those seeking a new challenge or a relaxing level of play and the Women’s League for women of all abilities. All leagues are run to be competetive and fun at the same time.

For more information, contact team captains or Union Arena by Sept. 30 at 802-457-2500. Information is also available at www.uahockey.org.

On the Diamond

Carl Joins Title Effort

Dracut, Mass. — Newport’s Stephanie Carl joined the Nashua, N.H.-based 16U NE Diamond Gems Elite softball team to win five games en route to the championship of the NSA Fall Brawl Softball Tournament last weekend.

The Diamond Gems outscored their opponents 24-9 in sweeping their way to the tourney title. The Gems are also the defending New Hampshire ASA state champions and are comprised of athletes from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine playing at the assocation’s junior Olympic level.

Carl attends Newport High School and is a member of the Tigers’ varsity softball team.

On the Court

IAABO Referee Classes

White River Junction — Vermont Board 105 of the International Association of Approved Basketbal Officials will hold a series of classes for aspiring referees beginning Oct. 28 at Hartford High School.

The classes will run on Monday and Thursday nights for four weeks, meeting 6:30-9 p.m. on each occasion. There is a cost to attend the seminars.

For more information, contact Dan Pause at 603-683-9315 or danpause@gmail.com.

With Paddles

Benefit Ping Pong Event

Lebanon — The Lebanon Assembly of God will host a fundraising ping pong tournament on Oct. 26 for the benefit of the Pregnancy Center of the Upper Valley.

The event will be held at the church, located at 45 Buckingham Place in Lebanon, starting at noon. Prizes will be available, including trophies for the tournament winners. Potential participants are asked to register online via the ping pong link at christianbrilliance.com by Oct. 17. The registration fee is $25 for the tournament along with a $5 hot dog lunch.

For more information, contact Joel McPherson at 603-448-3333 or pastor@lebanonag.org.

On the Trails

Wednesday Walkers Back

White River Junction — The Hartford Parks and Recreation Department is hitting the Upper Valley’s prime hiking spots again this fall with the resumption of its Wednesday Walkers program.

Meeting every two weeks, trip leader Jay McDonough will guide walkers on two-hour hikes at various locales. Hikers meet at 9 a.m. at the Hartford Municipal Building for transport to the hike site, returning by noon. The schedule:

∎ Sept. 25: Boston Lot, Lebanon.

∎ Oct. 9: Gile Mountain, Norwich.

∎ Oct. 23: Cole Pond Trail, Enfield.

∎ Nov. 6: Velvet Rocks, Hanover.

Hikers are recommended to bring boots, appropriate clothing, water and a snack. For more information on this series of free hikes, call Hartford Parks and Rec at 802-295-5036.

On the Run

WNTRS Concludes Saturday

Lebanon — The Western New Hampshire Trail Running Series will wrap up its 2013 schedule on Saturday with the Lost a Lot Trail Race in West Lebanon’s Boston Lot preserve.

The seven-mile race starts at 9 a.m., with race-day registration beginning at 7 a.m. The race cost is $20 in advance and $25 on race day. Online registration and deadlines are available on each race’s page at www.wnhtrs.com.

For more information on the series, visit www.wnhtrs.com or contact series director Chad Denning at 603-558-2352 or cdenning@teamamp.org.

Hagley to Speak at Howe

Hanover — Team Amp’s Inspire Active Living series concludes on Sept. 25 with a talk at Howe Library by Lebanon’s Laura Hagley on improving running performance and preventing injury.

Hagley’s discussion is entitled “Myths of Running and the Research Behind the Minimalist Movement.” An active runner herself, Hagley will talk about myths runners accept as true that research doesn’t support. Presenting current literature, Hagley plans to deliver principles that runners can use to improve efficiency and reduce the risk of injury.

The talk begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. For more information on the event or series, visit www.teamamp.org.

Trail Run for FOHT

White River Junction — The Friends of Hartford Track and the Upper Valley Aquatic Center will get out of the pool and into the woods to host the Hurricane Hill 5K/10K Trail Run on Sept. 28 in a fundraiser for FOHT, a nonprofit group working toward the construction of a running track at Hartford High School.

The runs begin at 10 a.m., with registration starting at 8 a.m. All registration and parking will be at UVAC, which will provide shuttle bus transportation to the race start site about three-quarters of a mile from the center. The 5K is open to runners, walkers, families and youths, while the 10K will be for runners only.

The cost to participate is $20 for adults and $15 for youths (ages 13-17) through Sept. 22, increasing to $25 and $20 up to and including race day. All children ages 12 and under are free. All preregistered participants will receive a long-sleeve T-shirt, and all participants will receive 50 percent discount coupons for UVAC day passes the weekend of the race.

For more information on the event, contact friendsofhartfordtrack@gmail.com.

On the Tee

HACC Tourney Friday

Hanover — The Hanover Chamber of Commerce will hold its 17th golf tournament on Friday at Hanover Country Club.

Registration for the tourney starts at 11:30 a.m. with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. Participants in men’s, women’s and mixed divisions will have the option of competing either in Ryder Cup or straight scramble formats with a variety of prizes up for grabs. The event includes on-course food and beveages, a hole-in-one competition and a post-tournament reception. Proceeds from the tourney benefits chamber causes.

For more information on cost or to register, contact Jane Soderquist at 603-643-3115.

Hartford Hockey Tourney

Randolph — The Hartford High School hockey program will host its 14th Greater Hartford Hockey Open Golf Classic at Montague Golf Club on Oct. 5.

The tournament serves as a fundraiser for the Hartford High hockey teams. It begins with registration at 11 a.m., followed by a shotgun-start scramble at noon. A dinner, awards and prizes follow the conclusion of the tourney, around 4:30 p.m.

The entry fee for a team of four is $220 for greens fees and carts, prizes and the dinner. The tournament will run rain or shine. Call Hartford High boys hockey coach Todd Bebeau for more information.

In the Saddle

Hunter Pace Sept. 22

Hartland — The North Country Hounds’ seventh Hunter Pace event will be held on Sept. 22 at Lull Brook Farm.

Teams of two or three riders will cover a course of about eight miles with hunt jumps, with an NCH master of the fox hounds riding along to determine winning times. Riders may participate in either the Hunting or Hacking divisions, with the latter competing at a slower pace. Prizes and ribbons will go to competitors finishing closest to the ideal time.